


Leave Me Wanting More

by DetectiveJoan



Category: The Bright Sessions (Podcast)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: 48 Mark, F/M, References to Canon violence, Season/Series 04, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-16 00:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13624674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DetectiveJoan/pseuds/DetectiveJoan
Summary: “I could punch him again,” Sam says, crossing her arms and leaning against the door jamb. “If you want.”(Coda to Episode 48 - Mark)





	Leave Me Wanting More

**Author's Note:**

> Content warnings for the aftermath of abuse, and joking about the possibility of violence.
> 
> The working title for this was "hrmlughk", which is the sound the abuse-survivor part of my brain makes every time I see someone unironically producing content about Damien. 
> 
> Title from [Backbeat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K0y1RT6M68) by Dagny

“I could punch him again,” Sam says, crossing her arms and leaning against the door jamb. “If you want.”

Mark’s lying flat on his back in the middle of her living room floor, feet flat on the ground. He could see her properly if he looked down between his knees, but he keeps his eyes on the speckled ceiling instead. 

He’s crying. Again. Annoyingly. He had thought he’d cried himself dry at Joan’s yesterday, but apparently he rehydrated at some point because those are definitely tears running down his temples and into his hair. 

He blows out slowly until his lungs are empty. “I wouldn’t stop you, but I think that’s more of something that you want.”

Sam steps into the room and carefully sits down between his feet. She wraps her arm around one of his legs and presses her mouth against the side of his knee. It would maybe be a kiss if he could feel it through his jeans, but he can’t. 

The weight of her arm feels good.

“So what do you want?” she asks, voice muffled by the denim. 

He laces his fingers together over his eyes. 

He wants Damien to be a better person, and he wants to not care about what sort of person Damien is, and he wants to be able to indulge in his usual breakup ritual of getting completely wasted, and he wants to know why this whole thing feels like a breakup at all, and he wants to sleep through the night, and he wants everything to stop being  _ so _ —

He takes another deep breath.

“Potstickers,” he says. When he looks down at Sam again, there’s a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. 

“I can do that,” she says. She squeezes his leg again and then hauls herself up and disappears down the hall. 

When she returns a minute later she’s dressed to leave the house, and holding Darwin; she gingerly sets him down on Mark. Mark reaches up to pet him instinctively and is pleasantly surprised when Darwin rubs his cheek against Mark’s chin and lays down on his chest. 

“You stay here on the floor and cry while I get food,” Sam says casually, like they're making a game plan for a date night in. “Darwin will take care of you until I come back. And then you can cry with Chinese, which I can say from experience will be an infinitely better experience than crying without it.”

Ideally, he’d really like to stop crying altogether, but he has to admit Sam’s approach might be more realistic.

“Wow,” he says, scritching Darwin behind the ear. “A cat _ and _ food? You really know how to spoil a guy, Sam.”

She brushes a strand of hair off his forehead.  “I like taking care of you,” she says.

There’s a sadness in her eyes that doesn’t match her smile or his joking tone.

“I’m really lucky to have you,” he says more seriously. It feels important to say, like the truth of the words will swell up and explode out of his chest if he doesn’t give them voice.

“You really are,” she agrees with such surety that he can’t help a small laugh. “But don’t think that means you don't have to pay me back later.”

“Oh?” He tilts his head. “What did you have in mind?” 

She stands up. “Tomorrow night? It's my turn to be spoiled.”

He laughs again. “And should I assume that's going to involve punching Damien again?”

Sam shrugs, but she's smirking. “I haven't made firm plans yet.”


End file.
